The centre of Wolverhampton’s theatrical talent is said to be having an £8.5 million pound renovation for the home to some interesting history.
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is undergoing an estimated £8.5 million pound project of repair work. This was ordered by the council, who manage the upkeep of the property, despite it being on a 99-year lease to the Grand Theatre. The building last underwent a major renovation in 1996.
The council has appointed AHR Architects Ltd to be the contractors and, so far, has spent £262,000 for a team of architects to reach a deadline at the end of the month. The repairs needed were identified by a building condition survey taken last year. The work that will be occurring will focus on the roof, ventilation, and heating system.
The grade II Victorian building brings in £11 million pounds and 250,000 visitors annually, whilst regularly engaging with youth theatres and accessible performances. The 132-year-old building has an interesting history linked to figures such as Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill.
In 1894, the Grand Theatre opened after being designed by Charles J Phipps and built by Henry Gough. Charles J Phipps had designed other major theatres such as His Majesty’s Theatre, London and Theatre Royal, Glasgow. The property is recognised as one of the city’s outstanding Victorian buildings, with credit to the architect.
Famed silent movie actor, Charlie Chaplin, featured as a pageboy in a 1902 Sherlock Holmes theatre production. The Oscar winning actor also worked at the theatre, early in his career. Many locals still draw inspiration from his connection to Wolverhampton such as singer-songwriter Dan Whitehouse, who in 2020, composed a score for Charlie Chaplin’s The Vagabond.
Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill made a speech to a male-only audience at the theatre during his time as President of Board of Trade in 1909. This was famously disrupted by Suffragettes, who were forcibly removed from the premise by police after damaging seatings and throwing smoke bombs.
Whilst on the topic of Prime Ministers, David Lloyd George launched his election campaign nine years after the end of World War One. He famously announced his plans to build ‘homes fit for heroes.’
Speaking of making places fit for the public, the Grand Theatre has not yet settled on a definite time for the repair work to happen as the theatre is booked for 18 months but are committed to getting the work done for the public’s benefit so much so there is a possibility it could be spanned across three years.
But until everything is confirmed, Wolverhampton will have to hold their breath for the first major renovation done to the Grand Theatre for 30 years ago.